Blade for propellers for air-ships.



140. 694,356. Patented mar. 4, 1902';

- r. w. DUFYWA.

BLADE FOR PBOPELLERS FUR AIR SHIPS. (Applicatiqn filed May us, 1901 model.) Y

weg gmys PEI'ERS co. PHOTO-LING, WASNXNGTON D c UNITED STATES ATENT OF ICE.

FREDERICK W. DUFWA, OF MEXICO, MEXICO.

BLADE FOR PROPE LLERS FOR AIR-SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,356, dated March 4, 1902.

Application filed May 15, 1901. Serial No. 60,278- (Modeh) T0 at whmn it may concern:

Beit known that I, FREDERICK W. DUFWA, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, residing at the city of Mexico, in the Republie of Mexico, have invented a new and useful Blade for Propellers forAir-Ships,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the construction of blades for propellers for air-ships.

The object of my improvement is to provide a means by which a ponderable object, such as the body of an air-ship, may be raised up into the air and maintained in position there or when raised into the air may be propelled in a horizontal or other direction. I attain this object by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to similar parts in all the figures.

The figures show two of my blades rigidly joined to a hub, by means of which they may be revolved.

Figure l is a side elevation of my device, showing two of my improved blades united to form a propeller. Fig. 2 is a plan or face view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line a: y of Fig. 2.

b is the body of my blade and is constructed, preferably, in the bellied form shown in the drawings, although its faces may also be helicoids or plane surfaces or longitudinally concaved throughout.

0 constitutes the taking edge of the blade and is formed of a strip of material substantially V-shaped or trough-like in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3. It is attached to the body 6 in such a manner that its interior or concave side lies over against the upper or forward edge of the body b, leaving the space cl, as shown in Fig. 8. The portion of the strip c whichis above the forward edge of the body I) is preferably as nearly parallel to the plane of rotation as possible in order to offer the least possible resistance to the air. The lower portion of the strip 0, which lies beneath the forward edge of the body I), is preferably arranged to lie at an angle of about fifty-five degrees to the plane of rotation.

My blade may be constructed of any suitable material having both lightness and strength, such as aluminium, wood, pasteboard, celluloid, wire or ratan netting covered with canvas, (X70. Any skilled mechanic will be able to determine what material is best suited for use under the circumstances.

One or more of my wings are attached to a hub a in such a manner that when the hub is rotated by lneans of a shaft in operative connection with some source of motive power carried by the air-ship the blades will revolve in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 2-'that is to say, the part 0 will always precede the part b. Of course other means may be employed for attaching my blades to the shaft. These are well known in the art and need not be further specified.

The propeller, consisting of the hub or its equivalent and one or more of my improved blades, may be attached to an air-ship in the position and manner well known in the art. If attached to the air-ship so that the blades may revolve in a substantially horizontal plane, the propeller if revolved with sufficient force and rapidity will raise the same into the air and maintain it in position there. If attached to the air-shipin such a manner that the blades may revolvein a substantially vertical plane, the propeller will if revolved with sufficient force and rapidity propel the same in a substantiallyhorizontal direction. Any mechanic will be able to determine the size of the propeller to adapt the same to propel any given air-ship in a vertical or horizontal direction and the amount of force and speed which must be given to the rotation thereof. When the blades are revolved 'as described, the part a will compress the air in front of it down under the part b. The compressed air rushing in beneath the part b expands there and raises the blades upward. The opening cl is provided to allow an escape of air in an upward direction and also lessens the upward resistance of the blade to the air. At least this is the only theory upon which I account for the satisfactory operation of my device.

In order to carry out my invention, neither the number of blades nor the exact construction of the same nor the manner of connecting the same with the source of motive power is of any consequence as long as the substantial construction of my blade, especially the inclined part b and the wedge-shaped part a, substantially arranged as shown, is retained.

I Wish it to be understood that in using the Word propeller in my claims I intend to describe a device'by means of which an air-ship or other analogous object may be moved or propelled in the air in any direction whatsoever.

I claim 1. The propellerblade consisting of the body portion 1) and the trough-shaped strip 0, arranged to leave the opening d between them and united to and carried by a hub a, substantially as described.

2. The propeller-blade consisting of body I) and V-shaped strip 0 united near their ends 

